Torrens Title

Definition of Torrens Title
Approximately 100 tax parcels are Torrens title in Clay County. Torrens title property is property in which the title is under the supervision of the Court. Under the supervision of the court, the Registrar of Titles issues a Certificate of Title, which is kept in the office of the Registrar. Torrens property is legally separate and distinct from title to abstract property. The judges of the district court appoint a county Examiner of Titles to perform the judicial, administrative and legal adviser duties.

History of Torrens Title
In 1858 Australia adopted a registration system for land based on the ship registration system. In subsequent years, England, Canada and several other counties including the United States adopted similar land registration systems.

The Torrens system was 1st used in the United States in 1895 in Cook County, Illinois after the Chicago fire. In 1901 Minnesota legislature enacted a statute by which land could be registered in counties with a population of over 75,000 which included Hennepin, Ramsey and St. Louis. In 1909 the act was amended to make the law applicable to the entire state.

20 states have experimented with the Torrens system. Today Torrens exists in 9 states: Minnesota, Massachusetts, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Washington.